


Out of the mouth of babes

by orphan_account



Series: What we have, is today [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Making Up, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 12:17:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13681515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's Valentine's day and Tony hasn't heard from Loki in weeks.





	Out of the mouth of babes

**Author's Note:**

> For the two munchkins who make me smile when they come to visit.

“Tony?”

 

“Tony, have you heard anything I’ve said in the past 10 minutes at all?”

 

With a struggle Tony gets his mind to switch gears, to focus on Pepper instead and to try and remember what she had been saying before he had zoned out.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. “Shareholders, not happy. Stocks dropping,” he surmises and drops his hand back into his lap. “I’m working on it Pep.” He tries a grin and moves to get up from the uncomfortable chair that is apparently the normal for Stark offices.

 

“Hey, would it hurt to get some comfy chairs in here?” he asks. “It’s like you want to kill our Board with pain to their buttocks.”

 

Pepper smiles. “It keeps them awake,” she says. “Which is more than I can say for you.” The smile drops off, replaced with a frown that he is seeing far too often upon her face.

 

“I know, I know,” Tony sighs. “I am working on it Pep. I’ve got several projects nearing completion. I can even get a prototype for the new VR ready to go in the next week,” he says thinking of the mess of wires and plastic that is supposed to be the latest VR Stark gaming system sitting on one of the worktables down in the lab.

He’s not even lying either. The coding only needs a few tweaks and then it’s just the last polish and testing that it needs to go through which shouldn’t take too long, and it’s not as if he has anyone to come up to bed to at night at the moment either, so a few all nighters won’t hurt anyone.

 

Tony groans and thinks that’s got to be a new record. He managed maybe a minute this time without thinking of Loki and their stupid fight that had sent the other man running.

 

“So I should, go, and do that,” Tony says and begins to back away towards the door. Pepper’s frown deepens.

 

“Tony,” she says and there’s a warning in her tone that Tony recognises as the tone she uses with the Board when they’re being more unreasonable than usual. It makes Tony pause in his escape, eyeing his CEO warily.

 

“It’s Valentine’s day,” she says and starts to walk toward him.

 

“Is it?” Tony tries. “I don’t know what day of the week it is Pep, let alone the date.”

 

“Mmm,” Pepper says and raises an eyebrow. Tony starts to back away again as Pepper gets closer.

 

“Did you err, want some chocolates and flowers?” he asks “I can arrange that, as a purely platonic I love you present, because you know we tried that and it was a disaster, lets be honest, we’re so much better as friends, and why do you have that look on your face? Pep? Pepper?”

 

Tony’s back collides with the back wall of the office and Pepper is still advancing on him with a determined look on her face. Tony gulps. “Pepper?” he tries again but gets no response apart from her coming to stop right in front of him and then proceeding to wrap her arms around him, pulling him froward into a tight hug.

 

Tony stands frozen for two, maybe three seconds before his muscles relax involuntarily and he brings up his own hands to return the hug.

 

“I’m sorry Tony,” Pepper whispers to him and her arms wind tighter around him, holding him together.

 

“I know you consider Valentine’s to be your anniversary,” she whispers. “I’m sorry he isn’t here right now.”

 

A lot of the times Tony bemoans the fact that Pepper is taller than him, especially when she’s wearing her three inch stilettos, but right at this moment, he loves being the shorter one. His eyes fall shut and he’s able to rest his head against Pepper’s shoulder, comforted by the scent of her perfume and the way she holds him as tight as he holds back.

 

_The bustle of classroom is loud and exciting as 23 four year olds chatter and laugh, while their teacher attempts to help them pack up their stuff for the day._

 

“ _I’m going to give mine to Jane,” Thor declares loudly waving his valentine’s card around in the air. It’s only a piece of paper folded in half with a red heart painted roughly on the front, but it makes Tony grin. He clutches his own card in his hand._

 

“ _Who are you going to give yours to, Tony?” Thor asks._

 

“ _You’re not suppose to say who, Thor,” Tony responds. “It’s supposed to be a secret. Didn’t you listen to Miss Hill?”_

 

_Thor waves his hand at this and a bunch of the glitter on his card falls off. “I don’t want to keep it a secret,” he says and runs to the front of the class when the bell rings._

 

_Tony follows, lining up with the rest of the class like they were supposed to. The pre-school has two levels, each with one classroom. Tony goes to the class on the top floor, so they must all line up and hold hands in pairs when going down the stairs._

 

_At the top of the stairs the rest of the class pair off and make their way down the stairs, joining in with the class down the stairs. Tony waits._

 

“ _Aren’t we going home Tony?” Miss Hill asks and holds out her hand for him to hold. Tony shakes his head. “Waiting,” he answers._

 

“ _Waiting for what?”_

 

“ _Tony!”_

 

_Tony turns with a grin when he sees Loki bounding up the stairs. He has a Valentine’s card held tightly in his fist and his own responding wide grin._

 

“ _Happy Love Day!” Tony says when Loki reaches the top of the stairs and holds out his card. Loki bounds forward and hugs Tony. He takes the card with a huge grin and holds out his own card. Tony can see instead of one big heart, Loki had drawn many much smaller hearts on his. He takes it with a grin._

 

“ _Loki, where are you, Mum and Dad are waiting!” Thor voice calls up the stairs._ _Loki’s grin fades a bit, but Tony takes a hold of his hand. “We need to hold hands down the stairs,” he says and tugs Loki forward._

 

 “It’s just a stupid memory,” Tony says. “We never brought it up when we were dating. He probably doesn’t remember.”

 

Pepper sighs and tugs herself out of the hug, keeping her hands on his upper arms. “Take me out for dinner tonight?” she asks. “In a purely platonic, I love you, dinner between friends?” she adds on with a grin that makes Tony laugh.

 

“It’s a date,” he says. “Just remind Jarvis to remind me at 7 o’clock and I’ll pick you up at eight?”

 

“Sounds perfect,” Pepper agrees. “Now go on with you, and don’t forget you promised me a prototype within the next week.”

 

“Slave driver.”

 

“Idiot scientist.”

 

“I prefer to be called evil genius.”

 

Pepper laughs and drops her hands to fold across her chest instead. “Will that be all, Mr Stark.”

 

“That’ll be all, Miss Potts.”

 

Tony turns to leave, a genuine smile on his face for what feels like the first time in weeks. He even manages to smile and return the greetings that people give him on the way out of Stark Industries without them feeling forced.

 

“Anthony?”

 

Tony stumbles to a stop, smile and good mood plummeting.

 

“Loki?” he chokes out, drinking in the sight of the other man. He hasn’t seen Loki in weeks, not since their fight, and now he’s standing at the bottom of the stairs that Tony had decided to take instead of the elevator, because of good health and all, looking gorgeous and like not a single day has gone by. Like it is normal for him to be there, waiting for Tony so they can go back to the Penthouse together.

 

“Tony?” Loki says again bringing Tony’s gaze upwards to Loki looking nervous, his eyes flickering away and hands hidden behind him.

 

Tony sighs and takes a step forward. “What are you doing here, Loki?” he asks. Reality presses against him, reminding him of the fight and the hurt and guilt that still churns when he thinks of it.

 

Loki seems ready to flee any second but then a look of determination pulls his shoulders back and he meets Tony’s eyes.

 

“I came to apologize,” he says and Tony frowns, crossing his arms over his chest as though that will somehow calm the hope that is trying to spread through his chest.

 

“Loki-” he starts.

 

“I know,” Loki blurts out, interrupting Tony’s words. “I know that’s not enough. And I know we’ll need to talk and figure things out, but for maybe just tonight...” he brings his hands in front of him and every thought Tony was thinking before freezes as he sees the card held in Loki’s hand.

 

“Just for tonight maybe we could pause, so that I can ask you to be my Valentine?”

 

“You kept it?” Tony asks, heart leaping and bouncing in his chest as he lays eyes on the card he had given to Loki all those years ago. Loki nods and begins to climb the stairs.

 

“I knew it when I was four years old,” he says with a small smile. “I knew that you were clever and kind. I knew you were brilliant and fun and I knew I wanted to spend as much time as possible with you. I knew all of this when I was four years old. I shouldn’t have doubted anything else.”

 

By the time Loki finishes he’s at the top of the stairs, standing inches away from Tony with a hopeful look in his eyes as they search his.

 

“Forgive me?” he asks and holds out the card.

 

The giant red heart, with the few grains of glitter that have survived the years, still clinging onto the edges sparkle up at him and Tony smiles. Reaching forward he tucks Loki’s fingers back around the card.

 

“I don’t want it back,” Tony says. “I gave that card to you and I already have the card you gave to me.”

 

“But,” and taking Loki’s other hand he holds it tightly. “You can walk me down these stairs.” Knocking shoulders with the other man he grins. “Remember we need to hold hands down the stairs though, they can be rather dangerous.”

 

“Gladly,” Loki replies squeezing Tony’s hand and tugging Tony to his side.

 

“Oh but Loki,” Tony says when they’re halfway down the stairs. “I hope you know that that speech back there, you will be mocked for later on. Hallmark are going to be calling you to offer you a job tomorrow.”

 

Loki just smirks, bending down until he can whisper against Tony’s ear. “A silver-tongue can be used for many different things,” he says and Tony shivers at the promise it holds.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a story told to me by a friend whose three year old seems to have picked up a very gallant laddie who wants to hold her hand down the stairs so she won't trip everyday after finishing school. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FOLKS. <3


End file.
